Holiday Pest Prevention Tips

We are officially in the prime holiday season, where the candy, gifts, and food are non-stop. While enjoying this time of year, whether it be surrounded by family and friends, or even by yourself at home with pets, it’s important to still take precaution to be aware of pest activity around your home! Here are holiday pest prevention tips that will make this season pest-free! 

Inspecting Exterior of Home

Making sure the outside of your home is prepared for the holiday season is very crucial to keeping the pests away. This is when pests  are looking for places to hide from the cold weather, and begin approaching your home. Here are some things to look for outside of your home.

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• Seal entry points - Looking around your property for entry points is crucial in keeping your home pest free. It prevents pests like mice from entering. Using things like mesh or caulk that you can find at your local hardware store to cover up the gaps. We offer minor ground level entry point seal up with our mouse and subscription services, but you will need to ensure all levels of your home are sealed. 

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• Dispose of trash properly - In a lot of homes, this is the time of year when garbage can pile up more than any other time of the year. Gifts, food, and old decorations fill our homes. It’s  important to make sure they are getting disposed of properly. Throw these items away in bags that don’t rip easily and  into bins that have tight-fitting lids, so no pests can be attracted to it and get into it. 

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• Inspect firewood and plants - If you use firewood for your fireplace, wood stove, or even just having a bonfire - make sure the wood you are storing is away from your home. It can attract ants or termites. Make sure to inspect it before actually taking it inside your home. Also, having plants like poinsettias, christmas trees, or other holiday plants can attract and harbor pests. Make sure to inspect them as well before taking them inside your home to prevent any pests from spreading to other areas inside. 

Precautions Inside of Home

During the holiday season, no one  wants to have random pests crawling around their home. Here are some ways to continue to have a pest-free home during this chaotic season. 

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• Maintain a clean home - Keep up with weekly chores like vacuuming carpets, sweeping floors, wiping down countertops, and making sure there are no cluttered areas. This will make the environment around your home clean and unappealing to pests as well as eliminate pest hiding spots. 
• Having guests - This is the prime time of when everyone is traveling to visit family and friends all over the world! If you have someone staying at your home, it’s important to remind them to check their luggage and items they bring into your home. A big reason for this is it can prevent pests like bed bugs. 

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• Properly storing items - With having one holiday after another, many will decorate for each one and usually the common thing to do is to throw it into a corner until next year! This can actually cause pests to hide in your belongings. A better way to keep them pest-free is saving them in airtight bins until the next season, and it’s a helpful tool to have them organized. Also, a crucial thing to also store in  airtight containers would be food gifts, food is one thing everyone is attracted to (including bugs) and storing it properly will keep unwanted pests away. 

Preventatives

During the holiday season, we understand still wanting to continue holiday traditions. Here are some preventative measures you can do to make sure you enjoy your home pest-free. 

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• Scheduling pest inspections and treatments - Keeping up with your regular maintenance treatments is very crucial. Many hold the belief that because the cold season is here, that bugs are just dying off and are no longer a problem, but they are actually just making their way inside your home. Pests like spiders will move themselves in to hide from the cold, and will continue to populate inside. If you do notice any activity, bring it to our company's attention and schedule an appointment with a technician to get it taken care of right away.

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• Inspecting decorations - Before bringing any of your decorations inside your home  after the holidays, it’s important to inspect them. Usually pests like spiders will hide in holiday decorations. Taking some time to clean them and store them properly will make a big difference.

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• At home alternatives - With the holidays comes with the traditions whether it's carving  the turkey, baking cookies and gingerbread houses, and all the other fun stuff. Here are some tips to avoid attracting pests while continuing to enjoy the seasonal fun! 

• Turkey remains: After the turkey is carved, either put the carcass in a freezer to make stock or dispose of it immediately.
• Baking treats: Once the fun of baking and decorating your treats is done, it’s important to put them away in sealed containers to prevent attracting pests towards them.
• Christmas trees and greenery - Trees, garlands, and wreaths can hold pests like spiders, mites, or small rodents - which is why before bringing it into your home you should shake anything out of them or spray it with a strong jet of water. 

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If you have any questions about any holiday prevention tips or would like to schedule an appointment to get ahead of the pests harboring inside your home, please contact our office at (844) 922-7732.

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